>> I have yet to see a description of heat pump operation that makes good
>> intuitive sense.


> Heat pumps are really much the same thing as refrigerators. ...

I have no problem explaining how they work.
It's just that there is a certain amount of "non intuitiveness" to the
process that people tend to miss and/or gloss over.
Explaining the N:1 gain in "efficiency" usually seems non-rigorous.
I can explain eg Carnot efficiency and tell you the maximum possible
efficiency of a heat engine between a source and sink or the maximum
possible COP for a heat pump between two temperatures. etc.
I can explain how  a Stirling engine, or a Vueilleumier machine work.
I can  explain regenerators (which many can't).
But, I am saying that the "explanations" fall short of intuitive when
comparing a heat pump with eg a resistance heater.


      R
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